Stawhawk, the much anticipated successor to the PS3 exclusive Warhawk, is opening its doors to the public for the first time on January 18th with a Public Beta. Read on to find out more, and more importantly how to get into the Beta itself.

The beta will be conducted in stages, opening on January 18th to all Playstation Plus subscribers with all Private Beta participants (who haven’t erased their original Beta files) being allowed back for more fun.

Next up are those lucky ones who play Uncharted 3, if you do you should receive an email on how to access the beta on February 1st. To get this email you’ll have had to redeemed your Online Network Pass found inside the boxed copy and made sure you’ve opted into receiving marketing emails.

Finally, and this is where the big public part comes in, the flood doors are opened and anyone can join the fray on February 22nd. Anyone with a PSN account, that is!

SCEE senior producer Florence Kum commented: “This is a crucial step for us as we’ll be testing all sorts of things, including game balance, server traffic, and general bugs. This is also a chance for more players to finally see what we’ve been working so hard on.” Going on to say: “We’ve been getting so much support and encouragement from fans and press alike, we’re excited to spread the love and get more input to make the best game possible.”

To summarise:

January 18th, the beta opens for PS+ Members and private beta testers.

February 1st, the Beta opens for those Uncharted 3 players.

February 22nd, the beta is open to everyone.

Well, we will have to wait until the 18th to get the first feel for the game, however; do leave your thoughts below. Will this be better or worse than the critically acclaimed predecessor was?